Search Within This Page

This collection has access restrictions. For
details, please see the
restrictions.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival
material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are
physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available
through the World Wide Web. See the
section for more information.

Elie Maynard Adams, philosopher; assistant professor-Kenan Professor of Philosophy,
1948-1979; and chair of the faculty, 1976-1979, at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. Correspondence, writings, interviews, and other material of E. Maynard Adams, chiefly
documenting his professional life as a philosopher and faculty member at the University
of North Carolina, but also including letters from Adams to his parents, 1937-1983.
The collection contains Adams2 s professional correspondence and drafts of his writings
as well as interviews with Adams by professors and students, films, and photographs
of Adams.
The interviews are primarily about Adams's ideas about important philosophical issues.
Included are discussions of humanism, naturalism, metaphysics, logic, language, religion,
morality, ethics, and Adams's criticisms of the economic system and ideas about structuring
a humanistic economic system. Some interviews also discuss his life and the history
of the University of North Carolina and its Department of Philosophy. Also included
are 90 audiocassettes of philosophy classes taught by Adams.

Use of audiovisual material requires production of listening or viewing copies.

This collection contains additional materials that are not processed and are currently
not available to researchers. For information about access to these materials, contact
Research and Instructional Services staff. Please be advised that preparing unprocessed
materials for access can be a lengthy process.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants,
as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the E. M. Adams papers #4814, Southern Historical Collection,
The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Claire Miller of Chapel Hill, N.C., in May 1996 (Acc. 96074); E. Maynard
Adams in March 1997 (Acc. 97037) and July 1997 (Acc. 97095); and Seth Holtzman in
August 1997 (Acc. 97106) and December 1997 (Acc. 98001).

Received from E. Maynard Adams of Chapel Hill, N. C. on 18 July 1997.

Received from Seth Holtzman in August 1997 (Acc. 97106) and December 1997 (Acc. 98001).

Received from Glenn Blackburn of Wise, Va., in December 2000 (Acc. 98819).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or
confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy
laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. §
132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of
State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.).
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to
identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent
of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under
common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's
private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable
person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no
responsibility.

The following terms from
Library of Congress Subject
Headings
suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the
entire collection; the terms do
not usually represent
discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or
items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's
online catalog.

Correspondence, writings, interviews, and other material of E. Maynard Adams, chiefly
documenting his professional life as a philosopher and faculty member at the University
of North Carolina, but also including letters from Adams to his parents, 1937-1983.
The collection contains Adams's professional correspondence and drafts of his writings
as well as interviews with Adams by professors and students, films, and photographs
of Adams. The interviews are primarily about Adams's ideas about important philosophical
issues. Included are discussions of humanism, naturalism, metaphysics, logic, language,
religion, morality, ethics, and Adams's criticisms of the economic system and ideas
about structuring a humanistic economic system. Some interviews also discuss his life
and the history of the University of North Carolina and its Department of Philosophy.
The additions of 1997 and 1998 contain audiotapes of some of Adams's class lectures
on value theory and metaphysics in 1983-1989.

Personal letters of Adams to family and friends recounting daily life and social relations.
This also includes letters discussing public lectures, letters to politicians discussing
the role of the University of North Carolina, and letters and articles about the proposed
philosophy center to be headed by Adams. In addition, there is a report of the faculty
committee on the future of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill given to
the faculty council in November 1969. Adams wrote the central committee report and
resolutions for this report.

Audio tapes of Adams's lectures.

Synopses of interviews conducted by Glenn Blackburn of E. Maynard Adams, as well as
of various former students including Jude Dougherty, James von Frank, William Friday
and Seth Holtzman. In addition, the collection contains articles and speeches composed
by Glenn Blackburn discussion various aspects of the life and work of E. Maynard Adams.
Finally, the collection contains photocopies of several letters written by Adams to
Glenn Backburn for the purpose of clarifying aspects of Adams's philosophy.

Expand/collapse Series 1. Professional Correspondence and Related Material, 1942-1997.

About 10,000 items.

Correspondence and other material documenting Adams's activities as philosopher and
professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Papers have been placed
in new folders, but the original order and folder titles have been retained. Similar
materials are found in each of the three subseries. For some subjects, researchers
will need to consult more than one subseries. For example, correspondence about the
Executive Seminars in the Humanities are filed under "E" in Subseries 1.1 and under "Executive Seminars in the Humanities" in Subseries 1.2.

Professional correspondence includes letters about publication of books and papers,
attendance and presentations at conferences, classes taught, requests for recommendations
for students and former students, and other correspondence with colleagues and friends.

Short writings by E. M. Adams, including drafts of and correspondence about scholarly
papers, op. ed. pieces, reports on departments and programs in UNC and other institutions,
speeches, and other items.

Nineteen interviews with E. M. Adams by philosophers and students, most of whom were
employed by or studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Most of
the interviews are about Adams's ideas about philosophy. Some also discuss his life
and the history of the University of North Carolina and the Department of Philosophy.